A member of a small class of objects which emit intense bursts of
→ gamma rays and → X-rays
(> 100 keV) at irregular intervals. The bursts last for some 100 milli-seconds.
It is conjectured that they are → magnetars.
See also → starquake.

A part of the system software designed to support the operation of application
software and is used to manage the computer files.
Examples of utility software are disk diagnosis program,
backup software, password generation software, and virus protection software.
Also called utilities.